Inch Ants
John needed to have some work done to his car. We drove it to the shop and decided to walk back home through the bush. It was early and not yet too warm for a nice walk in the bush. Soon we came to a discovery of inch ants. I had already heard John speak of these creatures enough to know to respect them, but not enough to have me run in the other direction, no, I needed to take their photo.
Inch or Bulldog Ants, have a sting in their abdomen/tail attached to a venom gland. Stings can be quite painful and may result in allergic reactions, up to and including anaphylaxis.
This is the mound they were going in and out of.
They are as the name suggests, an inch long.
It’s not enough that they can sting you, they could bite your first with the ferocious pincers they have on their mouths first. Get a lock on you, THEN sting you.
Secondary infection, though uncommon, may occur. Honeybees leave their sting in the wound, but Wasps and Ants do not, so may sting more than once. Oh fun.
Inch ants are not afraid of you. They will stare and chase you down, John is demonstrating this behavior to me by teasing the ant with a stick, see how it attacks.
“Australian ants have more PLUCK, and will turn and face you.
Nay, more, should you RETREAT, they will run after you with all the impudence imaginable.” Romsey Australia
Needless to say, I was thrilled to have my first encounter with inch ants and get a few photos.
